International (Amtrak train)

International

A Via Rail EMD F40PH leads the International with Amtrak Hi-Level and Superliner coaches into East Lansing in 1996
Overview
Service type	Intercity rail
Status	Discontinued
Locale	Midwestern United States/Southern Ontario
Predecessor	Blue Water Limited
First service	October 31, 1982
Last service	April 23, 2004
Successor	Blue Water
Former operator(s)	Amtrak/Via Rail
Route
Termini	Chicago, Illinois Toronto, Ontario
Stops	19
Distance travelled	502 mi (808 km)
Average journey time	10 hours 47 minutes
Service frequency	Daily
Train number(s)	364, 365, 367 (Amtrak) 88, 85, 685 (Via)
On-board services
Class(es)	Reserved coach
Catering facilities	On-board cafe
Technical
Rolling stock	Superliner coaches
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Route map Legend 0 mi 0 km Chicago Illinois Indiana 16 mi 26 km Hammond–Whiting Bypassed 2001 Indiana Michigan 89 mi 143 km Niles 102 mi 164 km Dowagiac 138 mi 222 km Kalamazoo 160 mi 257 km Battle Creek 208 mi 335 km East Lansing 238 mi 383 km Durand 256 mi 412 km Flint 274 mi 441 km Lapeer 319 mi 513 km Port Huron Michigan, U.S. Ontario, Canada 321 mi 517 km Sarnia 360 mi 579 km Strathroy 380 mi 612 km London Pre-1990 route 396 mi 637 km Ingersoll 405 mi 652 km Woodstock 432 mi 695 km Brantford 450 mi 724 km Dundas 459 mi 739 km Burlington West 470 mi 756 km Oakville 402 mi 647 km St. Marys 413 mi 665 km Stratford 439 mi 707 km Kitchener 453 mi 729 km Guelph 472 mi 760 km Georgetown 480 mi 772 km Brampton 487 mi 784 km Malton 502 mi 808 km Toronto This diagram: view talk edit

The International (formerly International Limited) was a named passenger train operated between Chicago and Toronto. It was originally an overnight train operated by the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada and its successors the Canadian National Railway and Grand Trunk Western Railroad, running as far as Montreal. The train was cut back to Port Huron, Michigan, in 1970 and discontinued in 1971.

In 1982, Amtrak and Via Rail revived the route by extending Amtrak's Blue Water Limited from Port Huron to Toronto. It was renamed as the International the next year. The service was initially successful but encountered numerous funding crises in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Substantial delays crossing the international border after the September 11th attacks, combined with freight congestion and the 2003 SARS outbreak, drastically reduced ridership. In 2004, the train was replaced with the Blue Water, which offered a better interstate schedule and higher reliability.